Hold a Bruising Faith
by Kyuketsuki1
Summary: Shounen ai (Tasuki/Nuriko). AU. Previously entitled "Stumbling into Destiny." Final Fantasy VIII crossover...
1. Prologue

Hold a Bruising Faith

By: Kyuketsuki

Disclaimer: I own neither Fushigi Yuugi nor Final Fantasy VIII. No profit is being made on this story.

Prologue:

Tasuki grumbled as he buttoned up his coat, amber eyes clouded with sleep. He ran a hand through his cropped locks and stumbled out the door, lazily noting that his roommate was already gone for the day. It was really no surprise to the young man, who had no good grasp on waking before noon. The clock beside the table reminded him that it was already past ten, but he paid it no heed. He was already late. What were another few minutes? He was much too tired to even consider hurrying.

Shutting the dorm room door behind him, he checked the corridors for students. It was mostly deserted, which did not surprise him in the least. It was Sunday and most of them were enjoying their time off or training.

"Exams," he muttered bitterly, rolling his shoulders a bit to reassure himself of the tessen against his back. Nothing was worse than exams as far as Tasuki was concerned. Not only did it require hard work, but waking up early and doing everything perfectly. His lax personality didn't enjoy the thought much, but he was a good fighter, and he was confident that he could scrape through at the very least. Even if it did mean waking up at seven.

The great circular skeleton of Balamb Garden stretched out before him, promising a number of enticing things. To the right, the cafeteria. To the left, the training center. He could use a bit of both. Coffee was much more promising, but the meek little voice inside his head that wasn't still sleep addled chided him for thinking of himself. With a great sigh that clearly spoke of defeat, he trudged off toward the training center. With his luck Tamahome would be standing in the corridor, ready to jump at him the moment he approached.

His luck held out.

"Where have you been?"

Tasuki glared daggers at the ebony haired boy. Taller than himself by a few inches, he was the love of every girl in the Garden. His violet eyes darkening with anger, he looked quite intimidating, but Tasuki had known him for far too long to think of him as a threat. His pride wouldn't allow it. And as much as he hated to admit it, Tamahome was as good of a friend has he had.

"Asleep."

Tamahome glared for all his worth. "Baka ne. Everyone else in the Garden is training for the exams and Tasuki-kun is in his dorm, fast asleep. It'll happen the day of the test, I bet. Then it'll happen next year, too."

"You're gonna be eating those words when I get a higher ranking than you, Tomahome."

The taller boy smiled smugly. "Yeah right. There's no way you'll do better than me. I could kick your butt."

"You'll see how wrong you are tomorrow, jerk!"

They exchanged heated glares for a moment before turning and stalking off toward the massive green double doors through which the training center lay. They passed a group of girls, who looked exhausted but proud, obviously ready for whatever tasks might lay ahead. 

Tasuki felt none of the blind optimism. He had faith in his own abilities, but he didn't know what the exam consisted of. Over the years at the Garden he had gotten used to flying blind, but there was always a sense of nagging despair that came with waiting for takeoff. Tomorrow was the big day. Now, feeling the tension of it, he was beginning to worry.

"You ready," Tamahome asked with a grin, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. Everyone thought he was so level-headed. Even in battle he seemed to have some sort of restraint. He had an eye for tactics that Tasuki wished fiercely that he had been blessed with. But he was not so lucky. All he had in his corner was a short temper and a knack for rushing into a fight without thinking.

"Better to face destiny head on than cower," he mumbled, drawing his tessen. It was a saying that had pulled him through more bad situations that he cared to think about. Those early years at the Garden had been hell. Now, in his last year, with two strong Guardian Forces and a little more control than when he had enrolled, he could handle anything that Balamb could dish out. At least, he hoped he could.


	2. Part One

Part 1

Tasuki had been battling for longer than he could remember. Not always monsters, of course. When he had been a child it was his sisters. There was something about the vicious green beast in front of him that reminded him of his siblings. He ground his teeth at the wave of memories that flooded him.

Deciding that anger worked for the moment, Tasuki blasted a wall of flame toward the plant-like creature. It danced back in it's odd swaying gate, but the damage had been done. It's long arms, one of which had left a blossoming swell of color on the redhead's shoulder, swung in what must have been agony before the beast collapsed, smoke rising from it's large body.

Tamahome whistled. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," he mumbled, rubbing his own wounded arm. "Why do those things have to hit so hard?"

Forcing a smirk, Tasuki shrugged. "Beats the hell outta me."

"You're so eloquent."

"Hey, at least I can hold my own against one goddamn Grat."

"I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you, idiot. It's just that I don't have a weapon, that's all."

Tasuki snorted. "If you were quick enough that wouldn't even fucking matter." He let his tessen rest against his injured shoulder, ignoring the slight discomfort it caused.

The taller man glared at him. "Look who's talking. You don't need to get within ten feet of those things. Me, I gotta touch 'em! I bet you couldn't do hand to hand combat to save your life."

It was a lie, of course. Tamahome had seen Tasuki fight without a weapon before. He had been glad then that he wasn't the one Tasuki was sparring against. But his pride was wounded, and he could never let the fiery young man escape with the upper hand.

Tawny eyes flashing with his own mildly wounded ego, Tasuki whapped his friend over the head with his still hot tessen. The dark-haired man gave a squawk of protest and danced back. He fell easily into a graceful battle stance that would allow him to knock Tasuki off balance in the very beginning. To his surprise, the younger man just laughed and walked away, tessen once again resting against his shoulder.

Tamahome blinked. "I can't believe it. Tasuki just walked away from a fight."

"Get a move on," the fanged boy called, eyes scanning the wide trail for any movement. Up ahead he spotted a familiar blue shock of hair and with a smile that he didn't quite feel, Tasuki jogged up to the battle.

Chichiri was using a blizzara attack on T-Rexaur who didn't look particularly happy or phased. It swung it's massive tail at the man, who leapt nimbly out of range and decided to go for another element.

Tasuki shuddered. There were three of the giant lizards that he knew of in the training center, all of which were quite ferocious. Few people dared to go up against them, and they had become more of a test on how fast one could run than how powerful. It seemed like the man was set on defeating it, however.

Stealing his nerves, Tasuki stepped carefully into Chichiri's peripheral vision, tessen drawn. The man had let his mask slip, his one good eye focused on the monster, but he easily caught sight of his friend's blazon hair and strong build. He dared a smile.

"Good to see you no da! Mind giving me a hand no da?"

Tasuki nodded. "Summon something damn good, Chichiri. I'll keep the stupid fuck busy." He took a step forward and began an unrelenting thundara attack that was doing little more than aggravating the beast. Fire was his strongest element, and though water based spells helped, they were usually not strong in his hands, so he often didn't junction them. He also had no blinding spells junctioned, which was not only inconvenient but also stupid, since he knew that he would probably run into the T-Rexaur during training. He could hear his friend's soft murmuring behind him and prayed that the man had acquired something water based. Infirit would do jack shit against the fire-based monster towering above him.

Tamahome crept up behind them just as the blue-haired man summoned Siren, a massive wave of water flooding the scene. They were both kept in a bubble of safety from which they watched the T-Rexaur give a growl and shudder beneath the powerful magic. It held it's ground, however, and soon enough Chichiri had reappeared, the water vanished, and the monster prepared an attack of its own.

The ebony haired man cast sleep quickly, smiling as the animal went down hard. He looked at Chichiri. "You planning on killing that thing?"

He replaced his mask before replying. "Not really no da. Just didn't feel like running no da."

"Well, then let's get the hell outta here."

The others nodded their consent and padded around the beast, Tamahome stopping Tasuki just before he could kick the T-Rexaur's exposed belly and wake him. The redhead grunted his disapproval of being manhandled before once again hitting the taller man with his tessen. The blow was less friendly, and with a groan Tamahome realized that he would be bruised to high hell for tomorrow's SeeD exam.

Tasuki shoved a good chunk of ramen into his mouth and chewed loudly, eyes closing in ecstasy. He had never been much of a breakfast person, but it was nearly two by the time they dragged themselves out of the training center and into the cafeteria where they now sat, eating at various paces.

Tamahome looked up from his bowl of miso soup and grinned at Tasuki, who grinned back, bearing a fang. The session had gone well despite the redheads late appearance, and they both had faith that tomorrow would go as best it could, if not out and out well. They were as prepared as they were going to get.

"Are you two going back no da?"

They both shrugged.

"Probly not," Tasuki replied around a mouth full of ramen. "I need sleep. Had to wake up in the goddamn morning!"

A stiff silence descended, feeling like dead weight on their shoulders. Everything was coming to a head now. If tomorrow went well, they would be SeeDs. No more ecstatic childhood. They were going to be adults, out in the real world. They had gotten used to danger, everyone who ever lived at a Garden did. But there was a sudden sense of foreboding that rippled through them.

Tasuki frowned. The militarian lifestyle of living in a Garden didn't suit him, yet he had almost grown dependent on it. He feared that without the rigid cross he had been nailed to, he would collapse--his own will atrophied. Would he know how to handle a crisis without an instructor at his shoulder, whispering hints? Would he be able to function on his own? He still depended on others so much.

A jolt on fear hit him. It was deeper than just physical danger. It was inadequacy, and it struck with wild abandon. He couldn't even get out of bed before noon without hassling. How was he going to survive in a world where people would much rather step on you than bother to step around.

"I can hold me own," he mumbled, eyes dark with trepidation.

Tamahome and Chichiri pretended not to hear him.


End file.
